LOCAL NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug 9: Coinciding with meeting of foreign secretaries from all seven countries of South Asia in Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, to finalise the dates for the 11th SAARC Summit, students of different schools presented a mock SAARC Summit in Kathmandu Wednesday.

The theme of the fifth inter-school mock SAARC session competition was " Terrorism in SAARC Region: Causes, Consequences and Possible Solutions" in which student speakers highlighted the problems created by burgeoning violence and terrorism in South Asia and need for collective efforts for its solution.

Tessa van Doesburg of Budhanilkantha School was declared best speaker in the competition, while Preeti Shrestha of LRI School and Saudarya Thapa of Rato Bangla School came out as second and third.

Tessa along with Akash Mohpal and Sandra van Doesburg acted as delegates from the Maldives.

Drama and Debating Club of Budhanilkantha School organised the mock SAARC session.

Students with national dress of the respective countries presented views and perspective of different nations of SAARC region on issues and problems of the region in relation with terrorism.

Rachit Pokhrel, Kabita Khadka and Mayanka of Ideal English, Daksha Shakya, Sandhya Baskota and Yashodhara of Triyog High School, Saudarya Thapa, Ashma Basnet and Trishna Rana of Rato Bangala School, Deepti Rawal, Samita Subba and Ashik KC of Brihaspati Vidya Sadan, Prateek Shrestha, Deepak Raj Luitel, Pranil Pradhan of St. Xavier’s School and Sandesh Joshi, Suvechha Ghimire and Preeti Shrestha of LRI School represented Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka respectively in the mock session.

St. Xavier’s School and Brihaspati Vidya Sadan were adjudged the best team while students of Triyog School bagged best manuscript award.

The three-member jury comprising Dr Mohan Prasad Lohanai, Dr. Sishir Sthapith and Madhav Prasad Ghimire declared the winners in different categories.

Declaring the winners, chief judge Dr. Lohani said that participants presented so eloquently that the programme can be better described as "prelude to 11th SAARC Summit instead of mock session".

Chief guest of the programme was the former foreign secretary and former secretary general of SAARC Yadav Kant Silwal who hailed the ideas of mock session as it educated students about the SAARC and its activities.

Silwal suggested that the programme should have been organised in grand way and its proceedings need to be sent to the governments of all SAARC nations.

Principal of Budhanilkantha School NP Sharma said that the mock SAARC session is an attempt to develop leadership quality among the students and also educating young kids about and SAARC activities.

Dram and Debating Club of Budhanilkantha School has been organising mock SAARC session since 1995.

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